Regretting leaving London

[LilyFlower2222]

Hello everyone,

Currently living in a 2 bed flat in central London and with 3 children space is non existent. Planning to move to Cambridgeshire area and put in an offer so just waiting. Work in London and the only benefit of living here is convenience of getting to work easily for both myself and dp. My partner can't wait to leave and am the opposite as am nervous as I've never lived outside London before. However I know for my children's wellbeing we need to move.
Anyone out there regretting leaving London? Thanks.

Slightly off topic, but if you aren't sure about leaving London, why don't you just move further out - a lot more affordable, cheaper commuting and you wouldn't be too far away from what you're used to.

Definitely considered that but unfortunately with our budget we can't afford it as we're after a four bed. We're renting in London and did consider keeping the flat as a crash pad as we both work shifts. However that would cripple us financially.

To be honest, I do have pangs, but it's the London I lived in pre-kids. And post-kids, I didn't find it much fun.

I have to give myself a bit of a stiff talking to at times. The friends I know who make it work are very wealthy. We weren't. For our family, moving out was the best decision

We left London three years ago for a small town on the coast, husband still commutes in. We haven't regretted it for a single second. Everything about life is better. When I go back to London I can't believe the grime, the horrible people everywhere, the traffic...In fact I wish we'd left years and years ago.

JigglyTuff I think I can definitely relate to that. Presently going out is on special occasions as most activities revolve around the kids. I probably need that stiff talk and zgaze that's definitely helping.
Thanks

We moved from London to Cambridge when pregnant with ds1 and we have never regretted it. Cambridge has a lot to offer for a small city and it's still close enough to London to easily get there for shows, museums etc.

We used to live in central Cambridge but we now live in a South Cambs village and from Royston station it's 40 minutes into Kings Cross.

Whereabouts in Cambridgeshire are you moving to?

Nope never regretted it, I moved to the middle of nowhere with my kids. They are so much happier with the space. They love their new school, so much more room to run around as school is not so packed (their words)! And when older they can take part in loads of the local activities. I worked with teenagers in London and lots of them struggled with space at home, and didn't have all the opportunities one would expect with a city (unless they had 'well-off' parents). And some of the stuff I saw was very sad, knife crime was a big problem in one of the schools I worked in. So I searched for a different life for my kids.

I would have stayed in London if I didn't have the kids, for a bit longer anyway. But children need a decent home, and we could not have afforded that in London or anywhere near! Now I don't need to work as much to afford a decent house, so we have more family time.

So absolutely no regrets, I haven't missed London once which even I am surprised about!

Another bonus is less pollution. The pollution in London has gotten so bad, the new 'lung cancer'. I didn't realize how much better I would feel, physically, until I moved away.

I do love London though and it's an amazing city, but my life has significantly improved since I moved away.

Goodluck

What's your budget if you don't mind me asking?

The area is little Paxton and our budget is 280k

A lot of parts of Cambridgeshire are easily commutable to London. If you live at the top of Cambridgeshire there are a lot of lovely villages/nice things to do a short drive away in Lincolnshire, Rutland and, Northamptonshire.

Are you planning to commute to London for work from Little Paxton? You'll be near enough to cycle to St Neots station if so.

I don't know Little Paxton very well as we have lived in SCambs villages but ime villages are quite friendly places.

Hope the move goes well

I moved from London to Manchester two years ago and still miss it massively (moved for relationship rather than because I'd had enough of town!), but agree with PPs that it's probably pre-kids London I miss... I did think I'd be over it by now though

WreckingBall Little Paxton is nothing like Manchester I can assure you 😁😁

Thanks everyone for the replies. We just had our offer accepted. Yes, we will be commuting to London for work. I suppose it's the best for all the family and just have to stop pandering to the 'what if' feeling.

Massively regret it, moved out when I had my daughter bigger property etc but always miss it and now my daughter is a teen she wishes I'd never left. However life is more affordable.

Little tip from someone who used to do that commute daily: if it's not horribly out of your way at the London end, the Liverpool Street trains from Cambridge station are newer, more comfortable and much quieter than the King's Cross ones. They take a bit longer (1h 8m vs 55m I think) but I found it worth it. The KX trains gave me backache and I loathed the morning scramble for a seat.

We moved out of London because we couldn't afford to buy a big enough house. I do miss aspects of London - not least the fact that where I live voted 2:1 for Brexit, and people definitely seem more racist and homophobic here. But it's quieter, cheaper, less hassle getting around, I'm five minutes walk from open countryside (and I live on a Council estate in an urban area !). We are 30 minutes on the train from London if I feel the urge to go there (I work there in any case).

I just need to explode this myth for some that schools are "worse" in London than elsewhere in the country. For the council I work for, the KS2 and KS4 performance are both above the national averages and the quality of teaching is excellent. I could understand if someone moved out to the sticks to give their children space and fresh air, but time and again, I hear people say "how awful schools are in London" which is usually a cipher for "my school is full of non-British kids"

PS Time difference for the KGX/LPL Cambridge trains is bigger than illustrated but Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale may be easier interchanges or closer to work.

I've been thinking about this all day OP. I'm a single parent living in SE London with my toddler. I'm paying £1100 rent pcm for a tiny one bedroom flat and childcare is £225 per week. I work full time but have no money at all!

I've been considering Margate but looking at jobs - there doesn't seem to be much there. If I left London I think I would have to learn to drive.

We moved out pre-kids, DH always had pangs and regretted it a little. He recently started working there two days a week and is now SO GLAD we left. I think it's really easy to romanticise London (especially as so many of us lived there when we were young and free!).

I really really miss living in London. Sorry. I think you'll be ok in Cambridge though. I miss city life. Am in suburbs. Yawn.

I know this isn't what you asked, but have you checked the flood maps for the area? I've a friend who lives near there and whilst her property isn't at risk of flooding, there have been times when all the roads out of her village have been flooded and she has been stuck.

I wouldn't recommend it as in my (inexpert) opinion house prices in London are poised to go even crazier after brexit is over and the pound hits bottom and the foreign speculators rush back in.

Peace of mind is valuable too but you might not be able to afford to come back to London if you leave.

A few years back we moved away from the city we lived in to a more rural area, DH was very keen, I wasn't so sure. Fastforward 14+ years and I have to say I haven't looked back and would never move back to the city, that we both grew up in. When you have children it's easier to make new friends. You won't know until you try it and if you need more space that you can afford elsewhere it's got to be viable option. I really hope it works out for you all ok. Good luck.